1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates an apparatus and method, and especially in an apparatus and method for enhancing DC offset correction speed of a radio device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As known, in a radio device based on a radio communication architecture, such as a direct conversion radio receiver (DCR) or Zero IF (ZIF), a DC offset manner frequently occurs during a process of mixing a RF or IF signal with a local oscillating signal to be a baseband signal used for the radio device. Because the radio receiver needs to keep a capability of receiving signal on movements, a frequency of the baseband signal will become higher or lower, and each gain in the radio receiver will be properly readjusted or re-corrected in response to this manner. The readjusted gain will result in changes of DC offset. While a DC offset occurs, the received baseband signal therefore may be distorted, especially through an amplifier, or a baseband filter that is saturated to make the radio device inoperable. Therefore, it is an extreme important for a radio device to provide a DC offset correction or cancellation for resolving a DC offset again after gain setting.
In an exemplar of using a GSM or current mobile phone system, a time slot for the radio receiver is being progressed for only a period of 20˜30 μs, which has been decided by a standard communication specification like a TDMA (Time division Multiple Access) system. During a time slot between receivers, only a very-short time is permitted to perform a DC offset correction after gain setting and continuously receive the baseband signal at the same time. However, it is a preliminary issue of how to perform a DC offset correction within such an instant or transient time.
For foregoing problems, a DC offset correction loop (DCOC Loop) is proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,114,980, which adopts a sign bit generator 204, a search stage 206 and a digital-to-analog converter 208 to compensate for input of a gain stage 202 like a baseband filter or an amplifier. Practically, at each time the loop 200 always need take 10 μs perform sequential comparison. And, a bandwidth of the gain stage, such as a baseband filter, on its signal-pass path, (e.g. GSM system) has a cannel bandwidth of 200K, which limits the whole DC offset correction speed of the radio receiver 100. Thus, a response time of the loop may be easily delayed from its baseband filter.
An U.S. Pat. No. 6,356,217 as illustrated in FIG. 1 of the present specification, discloses a radio receiver 100 disposed with a DC offset correction loop (DCOC Loop) that adopts a processor 160 to control a filter's bandwidth variance and clock speed. As shown in FIG. 2 of the present specification, a binary search is accomplished at a higher clock rate by way of raising a bandwidth of a baseband filter 130 at 3 dB corner frequency. After the DC correction is established, the baseband filter 130 is reset to a normal-operating statue by adjusting its corner frequency from higher to lower. However, as step 224 in FIG. 2 of the present specification, the filter bandwidth reset needs a setting time depended on support of a voltage potential. A lower voltage potential will result in a longer setting time for the filter 130. Therefore, it is an important topic of how to achieve a rapid setting time of a baseband filter within an allotted time slot for a radio device. Beside according to the DC offset loop 200, a PGA 124 will firstly amplify DC offset of the baseband signal, prior to filtering of the baseband filter 130, and then the baseband filter 130 with gain further increases DC offset by itself.
An U.S. Pat. No. 6,335,656 as illustrated in FIG. 3 of the present specification, discloses that a low noise filter (LPF) 24 is put in a feedback path to an amplifier 22 to perform a high pass filter 20 for DC cancellation. Meanwhile, multi-resistors are switched to vary 3 dB corner frequency of the filter 24. In an initial phase as a pre-charging phase, a resistance-smaller resistor is to set a higher 3 dB corner frequency for faster DC offset cancellation, and also providing a larger current to a pre-charged capacitor C. Alternatively in a normal-operating phase, a resistance-larger resistor is to set a lower 3 dB corner frequency and provide a moderate current. However, such a design is more complicated and occupies more layout area.